Totally Naked Lager

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Straw gold color, thin white head that laces. Crystal clear, steady bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sweet cream, apple juice, totally clean. Classic lager, no hop.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Sweet corn, clean. No hop flavors, malt dominant. Apropos for a pils.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Nice subtle bitter finish, slight hop bitterness—sweetness there as well.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Nice body, effervescent, and again, clean.


OVERALL: 2.5/3: The quinessential lager—so clean it should be sponsored by Ivory. A definite lawnmower beer, reminds us of Boulevard Pils.


TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another


NOTES:
Matt: The cleanest beer I've ever had—Mr. Clean should be on the label, it's so clean. Mr. Beer, Mr. Beer, Mr. Beer…(I like it).
Ben: Clean, crisp, refreshing. A summer beer for sure. I'd put this and Boulevard Pilsner up as better alternatives to the big boys.

New Belgium Somersault Ale

New Belgium Brewing Company
Fort Collins, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/4
Clear, gold in color. Mildly foamy head that sticks around and clings to the glass.

AROMA: 3/4
Light, citrus notes–something between a lemon and an orange. Subtle hop.

TASTE: 6/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Fairly clean. Can't decipher either a hop or malt in it–a MILD centennial-esque orangey/citrus hop, but nothing to write home about..
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Clean, no significant aftertaste.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Again, clean. Doesn't linger at all. SUBTLE orange/lemon citrys. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was drinking Bud Light (and that's never a good thing).

OVERALL: 1.5/3: Fine, if you really like beer that is merely average. New Belgium's answer to Bud Light. Or the "craft beer poser's" answer to Bud Light–for those guys who really WANT to look they like craft beer, but don't really.

TOTAL: 13/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Tammy: There isn't anything WRONG with this beer, but I'm not terribly impressed by it. I LOVE so many NB beers, I was excited to try this one and was just disappointed. If you're going for New Belgium, try Ranger IPA or Hoptober. If you're just a craft beer poser, this will do just fine. On the other hand, if you're looking to take that first step into craft beerdom but are afraid of the bitter taste of the almighty hop, this might be a good one to try.